Morning journal and courier., 1887-09-05

as actual civil service reformers certain persons who might
 otherwise remain unknown. Mr. Webster l stated that he was removed or coereed to
 resign for political reasons and this is all the l charge there is against MT. Seeberger that deserves any consideration. This charge l Mr. Seeberger emphatically denies. Web l ster was not removed; he resigned. When Mir. Webster resigned he abandoned all legal claim to his positisn and without claim or right why should he or the reform league geek the intervention of the President or an investigation by the commission unless for partisan political reasons? He sought the
 aid and sympathy of this league not for re-
 storation to office, but for that temporary newspaper prominence which might make
 purposes were to antagonize and to discredit
 8 Democratic administration. The
 league might demonstrate it's pretend
 ed power and usefulness by an
 attempt to find legal redress for such com
 plainants as Mir. Webster, if any could be
 found to exist. But iE these cases of removal
 from office restoration is not sought through
 the civil service commission, for it is known
 to be powerless to effect it; but the purpose
 of complaint is to fasten upon Democratic administration some charge of violation, if not of the letter, then the spirit of the law, violations rarely sought for during Repub lican administration, as whatever it might do would be called faithful observance of the law. The leagues and associations, which are too often political in character and pur- pose and not composed entirely of con- sistent reformers, as we'll as the indi- 7idual pretende1s to devotion to the public interest, as civil service reform CTS should concede to the president and to his | party some honesty of purpose and should l believe that as far as is in his power he will | see that the civil service law and the rules l made by himself are faithfully executed. So l long unreasoning hostility to the admin | istration and persistent denunciation are called vigilance and investigation in the l cause of honest government, so long will it l be known that neither civil service reform | nor honest government are the real subjects | of deep concern, but that greed for office and | party success are the handspring to action 1 and the defeat of the present Democratic l administration the highest purpose"
 Mir. Edgerton reasserts his position taken in | the case of Postmaster Harrity, of Philade1. ! phia, that reasons should not be exacted of l superiors for the dismissal of subordinates. | He says: Under the civil service law clerk | ship is, in one sense, condition of perpetual | probation. It means trial, and that failure I on trial means dismissal. After regular | appointment there is 8 state of continued | trial in the effort and the hope to go higher. | from any cause ceases to grow be- | gins to rot and hence men work to grow bet l ter, when to fail is to invite dismissal and to | make it then necessary. Commissioner Edg- l erton, in conclusion, says that in his opinion l Collector Seeberger has not been guilty of l any violations of any of the rules or any of l the provisions of the civil servict act.